Movie Review: Mission Impossible 5: Rogue Nation..not nearly impossible enough

In and of itself, Rogue Nation is a perfectly acceptable action movie. However, when this is the Mission Impossible franchise we are talking about, that isn’t nearly enough.

Up to around the half way mark in the movie, the plot builds with a natural flow and whatever action there is, is done well. Then inexplicably there are plot jumps to situations and developments with holes that you could drive a four by four through. Some of the stuff is downright amateurish with less than thrilling use of masks, and the indestructible phenomenon that is Ethan Hunt. With 4 movies under its belt ranging from supremely entertaining to moderately thought through, one would hope that there was a little more thought given to those sequences.

To appreciate the action in this movie you have to watch it in IMAX. That’s the only way you will recognize and applaud the high quality cinematography, especially during the chase sequences that really set the pulse racing. The much publicized airplane scene is something of a missed opportunity – while it holds your attention, its place in the overall plotline could’ve been better. The jump, that is again characteristic of the franchise, is also there but this time, it isn't as exciting - I wouldn't really hold my breath for it.

The big issue is that, there needs to be that tension and excitement, those jaw dropping moments that are characteristic of the Mission Impossible franchise and those quite simply and sadly, just aren’t there. Also, the movie isn’t clear what context it wants to set – get rid of the fancy stuff and show just basic action done well (like the 4th one) or use all sorts of fancy gadgetry to retain the super spy angle (2nd and 3rd installment)

What Mission Impossible 5 gets dead on target is the absolutely arresting presence of Rebecca Ferguson and her very complex character. Mr. Hunt almost gets relegated to the sidelines once she is in the frame – and when that’s Tom Cruise, its not an easy stunt to pull off. However Ferguson does that with consummate ease and every time she glides in and out of frames, she captures your attention. As for Cruise, his age had begun to show in the 4th installment itself, so the fact that he can pull off a convincing act in this 5th installment is a marvel all by itself. The movie tries to retain the subtle humor that was a refreshing addition to the last one, and though its not as successful, still provides a few chuckles

Mission Impossible has been a franchise that has always had that spark that went down to the wire and stood for explosive and jaw dropping action and has done so fairly consistently as well. While Rogue Nation still shows you a good time, it seems to be on its last sticks of dynamite and one wonders if there are any more ‘impossibilities’ left for it to explore. As for this one, go for it, only in IMAX but keep the expectations low this time around.

Movie Review: Drishyam..thrilling vision but loose presentation

Storywise, Drishyam is certainly an illusion worth witnessing. In fact, the plotline of Drishyam and sense of hypnotism with which it has the potential to sweep its audience held tremendous promise. Tightly packaged and with slick direction it could’ve been a real cracker. However, its loose presentation means it lacks sheen and a gripping tale on paper becomes a slow and frustrating ordeal at its long runtime of 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Drishyam leaves you with a rather despondent feeling of having not witnessed the brilliance it could’ve had with such a solid plot in place. I haven’t seen the Mohanlal original that this one is a remake of and it is amiss of me to presume that the original had the same wearied presentation and runtime. However, the over-the-top drama and over-emphasis on background score rather than quality of writing makes me suspect that to be the case – and those are precisely the issues with Drishyam. That, and the handful of disturbing scenes that could’ve been much more tastefully presented or outright removed, especially when the script didn’t actually demand them.

There are a handful of scenes that will take your breath away as well and you never get the feeling that the story itself is weak. Yet, there is more than one scene where you shake your head in disbelief at the fine mess the director has made of what could’ve been a good thing.

Initially one feels that the slow build up is necessary to connect better with the characters as the plot gathers momentum – and that is even true in many cases. However, the over extended scenes of interrogation and unnecessary drama end up leaving more of a bad taste in the mouth than any appreciation of the predicament of the story’s characters

It is quite clear that for Drishyam the story is king and that shows in the way its characters are handled as well. While Ajay Devgn does complete justice to his role, despite being the protagonist of the story, his character lacks dimensions even though its plain that there ought to be many layers to it. Tabu being the accomplished actress she is, is again practically wasted in a character that doesn’t really need her range of performance as is Rajat Kapoor – am still wondering why his character was needed in the first place.

In the hands of a more able director like Sujoy Ghosh, Drishyam had the plot to be another ‘Kahaani’. However, as it stands, it is only an illusion to believe that the movie does justice. Drishyam could’ve been so much more